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Christmas lights

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Christmas lights (also sometimes called fairy lights or twinkle lights) are strands of electric lights used to decorate homes and Christmas trees during the holiday season, mostly in the West. Christmas lights come in a dazzling array of configurations and colors.

History

First Christmas tree with electric lights, in the home of Edward H. Johnson in New York City, December 22, 1882.

The first known electrically-illuminated Christmas tree was the creation of Edward H. Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison. While he was vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, a predecessor of today's Con Edison electric utility, he had Christmas tree light bulbs especially made for him. He proudly displayed his Christmas tree, which was hand-wired with 80 red, white and blue electric incandescent light bulbs the size of walnuts, on December 22, 1882 at his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Local newspapers ignored the story, seeing it as a publicity stunt. However, it was published by a Detroit newspaper reporter, and Johnson became the Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights.

From that point on, electrically illuminated Christmas trees, indoors and outdoors, grew with mounting enthusiasm in the United States and elsewhere. In 1895, U.S. President Grover Cleveland proudly sponsored the first electrically lit Christmas tree in the White House. It was a huge specimen, featuring more than a hundred multicolored lights. The first commercially produced Christmas tree lamps were manufactured in strings of multiples of eight sockets by the General Electric Co. of Harrison, New Jersey. Each socket took a miniature two-candlepower carbon-filament lamp.

Over a period of time, strings of Christmas lights found their way into use in places other than just Christmas trees. Soon, strings of lights adorned mantles and doorways inside homes, and ran along the rafters, roof lines, and porch railings of homes and businesses. In recent times, many city skyscrapers are decorated with long mostly-vertical strings of a common theme, and are activiated simultaneously in Grand Illumination ceremonies.

Types

In modern times, Christmas lighting devices can be based on different technologies. Common technologies are incandescent light bulbs and now LEDs. Lightbulbs or LEDs are usually connected in series to be powered from mains without a transformer (LED-based strings, of course, have a current-limiting resistor). Neon lamp based strings have lamps connected in parallel, each with its own current-limiting resistor. All battery-powered lights are wired in parallel.

Other setups include lightbulb or LED-based strings with a line isolation step down transformer with bulbs or LEDs connected in parallel (LEDs have current limiting resistors). These sets are much safer, but there is a voltage drop at the end of the string (less noticeable with LED than incandescent). There is also the "wall wart" transformer which may be difficult to plug in certain places.

There are even Christmas light sets that use fiber optic technology. They are usually incorporated into an artificial Christmas tree. They have light bulbs or LEDs in the tree base and many fiber optic wires going to the leaves of the tree. These devices always have line isolation step-down transformer, because they have only one or two bulbs or LEDs.

Christmas lights can be animated. This is done by using special flasher or "interrupter bulbs" or electronically. An electronic Christmas light controller usually has a diode bridge followed by a resistor-based voltage divider, a filter capacitor and a fixed-program microcontroller. The animation modes are changed by pressing a button. The microcontroller has three or four outputs which are connected to transistors or thyristors. They control interleaved strings: commonly red, green, blue and yellow, or other combinations such as red, green and white.

Fiber-optic Christmas trees can also be animated electronically, but more often this is done by means of a rotating color filter disc.

Safety

In the past, Christmas light sets used line-voltage (120 or 240 volts depending on what country) lightbulbs, similar to those used in refrigerators, connected in parallel. These sets were very power hungry and are used less widely nowadays. Even before that, Christmas trees were illuminated by candles. This is still done rarely, but is not recommended, because it is very dangerous!

One should always unplug a Christmas light set that has no transformer before repairing it. Remember that the electronic controller in such sets is also not line isolated! Animated Christmas light sets, including fiber optic ones should never be watched by persons having photosensitive epilepsy.

The Marshall, Texas courthouse outlined in Christmas lights

The number of strands of continuous light sets that may be safely conjoined varies based on whether the lights are LEDs, ordinary miniature light bulbs, or the larger C7/C9 type light bulbs. Other factors include the voltage of the set and the size of the wiring in the set. If you have questions, consult the manufacturer's instructions or an electrician.

Most light sets come with built in fuses to help protect against overheating and to prevent your house's fuses or circuit breakers from being tripped. If you blow a fuse, unplug the strand from the power source and reduce the number of lights immediately. If the strand has nothing attached, or has blown repeatedly, the strand may contain a short and should be discarded.

It should also be noted that many light sets may contain traces of lead, and consumers should wash hands thoroughly after handling these products, especially before eating. Proposition 65 of California requires that if products contain lead or traces of lead then a warning must be printed on packing of products. Be sure to check the label for this and any additional warnings.

House lights

In the U.S. from the 1960s, beginning in tract housing, it became increasingly the custom to completely outline the house (but particularly the eaves) with weatherproof Christmas lights. The Holiday Trail of Lights is a joint effort by cities in east Texas and northwest Louisiana that had its origins in the Festival of Lights and Christmas Festival in Natchitoches, started in 1927, making it one of the oldest light festivals in the United States.

The rule of thumb for fairy lights when decorating trees is to use between 150 and 300 lights per foot of tree heights.

Trivia

  • Christmas light strings wired in series were often of the type where if one bulb burned out or was loose, an entire string would not illuminate. Development of wiring in parallel and shunts in individual bulb bases were technological (and practical) improvements welcomed by many users.
  • In the 1989 film National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, actor Chevy Chase attempts to follow American family Christmas traditions with elaborate Christmas lights and decorations on the exterior of the family home. His attempt at a "Grand Illumination" for a family reunion is one of the high points of the story. The film has become an annual holiday favorite in many families.
  • The Oklahoma alternative rock band Flaming Lips becamse known in their early days for covering their instruments in christmas lights.

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The rule of thumb for fairy lights when decorating trees is to use between 150 and 300 lights per foot of tree heights. Sheetpans or cookie sheets are bakeware with large flat surfaces. The Holiday Trail of Lights is a joint effort by cities in east Texas and northwest Louisiana that had its origins in the Festival of Lights and Christmas Festival in Natchitoches, started in 1927, making it one of the oldest light festivals in the United States. Roasters are usually made of heavy gauge metal so that they may be used safely on a cooktop following roasting in an oven. from the 1960s, beginning in tract housing, it became increasingly the custom to completely outline the house (but particularly the eaves) with weatherproof Christmas lights. Roasters or roasting pans are a casserole variant with higher sides designed for roasting of meats. In the U.S. They have high sides and usually have handles.

Be sure to check the label for this and any additional warnings. Casserole dishes are commonly made of glazed ceramics or pyrex. Proposition 65 of California requires that if products contain lead or traces of lead then a warning must be printed on packing of products. Cake pans can include square pans, round pans, and specialty pans such as angel food cake pans and springform pans often used for baking cheesecake. It should also be noted that many light sets may contain traces of lead, and consumers should wash hands thoroughly after handling these products, especially before eating. These are often made from light or medium gauge metal. If the strand has nothing attached, or has blown repeatedly, the strand may contain a short and should be discarded. Baking pans are designed for use in the oven (for baking) and encompass a variety of different styles of bakeware such as cake pans, pie pans, and loaf pans.

If you blow a fuse, unplug the strand from the power source and reduce the number of lights immediately. Other vessels for cooking include dutch ovens, woks, double boilers, doufeus and bains-marie. Most light sets come with built in fuses to help protect against overheating and to prevent your house's fuses or circuit breakers from being tripped. People have used a variety of cooking pans and pots for food preparation throughout history. If you have questions, consult the manufacturer's instructions or an electrician. It may be permanently attached to its heat source similar to a hot plate or an electric frying pan. Other factors include the voltage of the set and the size of the wiring in the set. A griddle is a flat plate of metal used for cooking.

The number of strands of continuous light sets that may be safely conjoined varies based on whether the lights are LEDs, ordinary miniature light bulbs, or the larger C7/C9 type light bulbs. Frypans with a gentle, rolling slope are sometimes called omelette pans. Remember that the electronic controller in such sets is also not line isolated! Animated Christmas light sets, including fiber optic ones should never be watched by persons having photosensitive epilepsy. Shallow pans with a single long handle and sloped sides are called frypans, frying pans, or skillets, and are generally measured by diameter. One should always unplug a Christmas light set that has no transformer before repairing it. Large pots that are wide and shallow are called braisiers or casseroles if they have two handles, and sauté pans if they have a single long handle; pots that are taller than they are wide are called stockpots (12-36 quarts). This is still done rarely, but is not recommended, because it is very dangerous!. These provide quicker evaporation than straight sided pans, and make it easier to stir a sauce while reducing.

Even before that, Christmas trees were illuminated by candles. Saucepans with sloping sides are called Windsor pans, and saucepans with rounded sides are called sauciers. These sets were very power hungry and are used less widely nowadays. Saucepans and saucepots are measured by volume (usually 1–8 quarts). In the past, Christmas light sets used line-voltage (120 or 240 volts depending on what country) lightbulbs, similar to those used in refrigerators, connected in parallel. Larger pots of the same shape generally have two handles close to the sides of the pot (so they can be lifted with both hands), and are called sauce-pots or soup pots (3–12 quarts). Fiber-optic Christmas trees can also be animated electronically, but more often this is done by means of a rotating color filter disc. Saucepans generally have one long handle.

They control interleaved strings: commonly red, green, blue and yellow, or other combinations such as red, green and white. Small pots with vertical sides about the same height as their diameter are called saucepans (or just "pots"). The microcontroller has three or four outputs which are connected to transistors or thyristors. [2] [3]. The animation modes are changed by pressing a button. Also, chemicals used in the manufacture of nonstick cookware, such as Teflon and Silverstone, have been implicated in cancer and birth defects, and have been found in breast milk in various cities in the United States. An electronic Christmas light controller usually has a diode bridge followed by a resistor-based voltage divider, a filter capacitor and a fixed-program microcontroller. In order to preserve the nonstick coating of a pan, it is important never to use metal implements in the pan while cooking, or harsh scouring pads or chemical abrasives when cleaning.

This is done by using special flasher or "interrupter bulbs" or electronically. Nonstick coatings tend to degrade over time, and require vigilant care and attention. Christmas lights can be animated. When frying in pans without such a coating, it is usually necessary to use vegetable or animal fat to prevent sticking. These devices always have line isolation step-down transformer, because they have only one or two bulbs or LEDs. On the other hand, they are easier to clean than other types of pots, and do not often result in burned food. They have light bulbs or LEDs in the tree base and many fiber optic wires going to the leaves of the tree. Additionally, nonstick pans cannot be used at high temperatures.

They are usually incorporated into an artificial Christmas tree. A small amount of sticking is needed to cause flavorful browning (called a glaze); adding liquid to lift the glaze from the pot is called deglazing. There are even Christmas light sets that use fiber optic technology. This has advantages and disadvantages for flavor and ease of use. There is also the "wall wart" transformer which may be difficult to plug in certain places. Modern cooking pans are frequently coated with a substance such as Teflon in order to minimize the possibility of food sticking to the pan surface. These sets are much safer, but there is a voltage drop at the end of the string (less noticeable with LED than incandescent). This provides much of the functionality of tinned-copper pots for a fraction of the price.

Other setups include lightbulb or LED-based strings with a line isolation step down transformer with bulbs or LEDs connected in parallel (LEDs have current limiting resistors). Cladding is a technique for fabricating pans with a layer of heat conducting material, such as copper or aluminium, sandwiched between a non-reactive material, such as stainless steel. All battery-powered lights are wired in parallel. This creates a piece that has the heat distribution properties of cast iron combined with a non-reactive, non-stick surface. Neon lamp based strings have lamps connected in parallel, each with its own current-limiting resistor. Enameled cast iron is a cast iron cooking vessel covered with a porcelain surface. Lightbulbs or LEDs are usually connected in series to be powered from mains without a transformer (LED-based strings, of course, have a current-limiting resistor). This rubbery material is not to be confused with the silicone resin used to make hard, shatterproof children's dishware, which is not suitable for baking.

Common technologies are incandescent light bulbs and now LEDs. Its flexibility is advantageous in removing baked goods from the pan. In modern times, Christmas lighting devices can be based on different technologies. It melts around 930°F (500°C), depending upon the fillers used. In recent times, many city skyscrapers are decorated with long mostly-vertical strings of a common theme, and are activiated simultaneously in Grand Illumination ceremonies. Silicone bakeware is light, flexible, and able to withstand sustained temperatures of 675°F (360°C) [1]. Soon, strings of lights adorned mantles and doorways inside homes, and ran along the rafters, roof lines, and porch railings of homes and businesses. Their near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion makes them almost entirely immune to thermal shock.

Over a period of time, strings of Christmas lights found their way into use in places other than just Christmas trees. While Pyrex can shatter if taken between extremes of temperature too rapidly, glass-ceramics can be taken directly from deep freeze to the stovetop. Each socket took a miniature two-candlepower carbon-filament lamp. Glass-ceramics are used to make products such as Corningware, which have many of the best properties of both glass and ceramic cookware. of Harrison, New Jersey. The clear glass also allows for the food to be seen during the cooking process. The first commercially produced Christmas tree lamps were manufactured in strings of multiples of eight sockets by the General Electric Co. Borosilicate glass, such as Pyrex, are safe at oven temperatures.

It was a huge specimen, featuring more than a hundred multicolored lights. Unglazed ceramics, such as terra cotta, have a porous surface that can hold water or other liquids during the cooking process. President Grover Cleveland proudly sponsored the first electrically lit Christmas tree in the White House. Glazed ceramics, such as porcelain, provide a nonstick cooking surface. In 1895, U.S. Non-metallic bakeware can be used in both conventional and microwave ovens. From that point on, electrically illuminated Christmas trees, indoors and outdoors, grew with mounting enthusiasm in the United States and elsewhere. Improvements in metallurgy during the 19th and 20th centuries allowed for pots and pans from metals such as steel, stainless steel and aluminum to be economically produced.

However, it was published by a Detroit newspaper reporter, and Johnson became the Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights. In the American colonies, these items would commonly be produced by a local blacksmith from iron while brass or copper vessels were common in Europe and Asia. Local newspapers ignored the story, seeing it as a publicity stunt. By the 17th Century, it was common for a western kitchen to contain a number of skillets, baking pans, a kettle, and several pots along with a variety of pot hooks, and trivets. He proudly displayed his Christmas tree, which was hand-wired with 80 red, white and blue electric incandescent light bulbs the size of walnuts, on December 22, 1882 at his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City. After the development of metal cookware there was little new development in cookware, with the standard Medieval kitchen utilizing a cauldron and a shallow earthenware pan for most cooking tasks with a spit employed for roasting. While he was vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, a predecessor of today's Con Edison electric utility, he had Christmas tree light bulbs especially made for him. The development of bronze and iron metalworking skills allowed for cookware made from metal to be manufactured although adoption of the new cookware was slow due to the much higher cost.

Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison. The earthenware cookware could then be suspended over a fire through use of a tripod or other apparatus, or even designed to be placed directly into a fire or coal bed. The first known electrically-illuminated Christmas tree was the creation of Edward H. Coating the earthenware with some type of plant gum, and latter pottery glazes, converted the porous container into a waterproof vessel. . The development of earthenware pottery allowed for the creation of fireproof cooking vessels in a variety of shapes and sizes. Christmas lights come in a dazzling array of configurations and colors. A final cooking vessel available to early civilizations were the stomachs from animals killed by hunters.

Christmas lights (also sometimes called fairy lights or twinkle lights) are strands of electric lights used to decorate homes and Christmas trees during the holiday season, mostly in the West. Bamboo tubes sealed at the end with clay would have provided a usable container in Asia, while the inhabitants of the Tehuacan Valley began carving large stone bowls that were permanently set into a hearth as early as 7000 BC. The Oklahoma alternative rock band Flaming Lips becamse known in their early days for covering their instruments in christmas lights. In many locations the shells of turtles or large mollusks provided a source for waterproof cooking vessels. The film has become an annual holiday favorite in many families. Heated stones could then be placed in the water to raise its temperature. His attempt at a "Grand Illumination" for a family reunion is one of the high points of the story. For people without access to natural heated water sources, such as hot springs, it was possible to prepare a small pit lined with stones and filled with water.

In the 1989 film National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, actor Chevy Chase attempts to follow American family Christmas traditions with elaborate Christmas lights and decorations on the exterior of the family home. Of greater difficulty was finding a method to boil water. Development of wiring in parallel and shunts in individual bulb bases were technological (and practical) improvements welcomed by many users. Examples of similar techniques are still in use in many modern cuisines. Christmas light strings wired in series were often of the type where if one bulb burned out or was loose, an entire string would not illuminate. In addition to exposing food to direct heat from either an open fire or hot embers it is possible to cover the food with clay or large leaves before roasting to preserve moisture in the cooked result. Among the first of the techniques believed to be used by stone age civilizations were improvements to basic roasting.

It has been possible to extrapolate likely developments based on methods used by latter peoples. History of cooking vessels before the development of pottery is minimal due to the limited archaeological evidence. . The terms cookware and bakeware are not exclusive, and it is possible for a single utensil to be used as both cookware and bakeware.

Bakeware comprises cooking vessels intended for use inside an oven. Cookware comprises cooking vessels, such as saucepans and fry pans, intended for use on a stove or range cooktop. Cookware and bakeware are types of food preparation containers commonly found in the kitchen. URL accessed on October 14, 2005..

Alzheimer's Society. Facts about dementia. Aluminium and Alzheimer's disease. ISBN 0-394-54411-0..

The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook and Guide to Kitchenware, Random House. Chuck Williams (1986). ISBN 0-517-57186-2.. Food in History, Crown Publishers.

Reay Tannahill (1988). ISBN 0-06-011563-7.. The Cooks' Catalogue, Harper & Row. (1975).

James Beard, et al. Wok. Stock pot. Springform pan.

Soufflé dish. Sauté pan. Saucepan. Roasting rack.

Roasting pan. Pressure cooker. Pan. Kettle.

Frying pan (also called Skillet). Dutch oven. Doufeu. Double boiler.

Crepe pan. Cooking pot. Cookie sheet. Chip pan.

Baking pan. Angel food cake pan.